Horror crash at 24hr race leaves car engulfed in flames in 'horrendous' scenes
A horrific three-car crash at The 24 Hours of Spa Saturday nearly led to disaster as Rinaldi Racing's Christian Hook saw his car catch on fire.
Rinaldi Racing's No. 333 car was engulfed by flames at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa Saturday after a three-car crash that nearly ended in disaster. Race organizers GT World Challenge Europe confirmed that all drivers are okay, but the incident did cause an immediate safety period.
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During the fourth hour of Saturday's marathon race in Spa, Belgium, the No. 333 car, driven by Christian Hook, squeezed Comtoyou Racing's Nicolas Baert into the nearby railing and forced both cars into a crash. However, while Baert managed to navigate his car onto the nearby grassy run-off area, Hook was stuck in the middle of the track with cars approaching at 200 kilometers per hour.
After the crash event organizers virtual yellow caution flags, signaling for drivers to slow their speed. However, most contenders continued at their normal pace, and Malaysian driver Adrian D'Silva struck the left rear bumper of Hook's car, sending the No. 333 car spiraling into the car in a collision that ultimately sparked a fire.
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D'Silva's racing group Earl Bomber Motorsport announced that their team would not continue after the incident. "Unfortunately it’s an early retirement for us in the 24 Hours of Spa," the Australian racing team wrote on Twitter. "Adrian is okay after an incident around the 4-hour mark."
This concerning accident came during the historic race's centenary edition near the German border. The initial iteration was held over a nine-mile route around the region, but the present-day race takes place on the condensed 4.4-mile Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, also the home of Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix.
The 2024 edition featured a large 67-car field divided into Pro class, Gold Cup, Silver Cup, Bronze Cup and Pro-Am Cup divisions. Teams outside of the Pro class are allotted a roster of four drivers that rotate throughout the 24-hour event. Returning manufacturers for the event include Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, while Aston Martin, who represents Baert's Comtoyou Racing, makes a debut apperarance.
Baert's Comtoyou teammate Marco Sorensen is also leading the race through six hours, with Maximilan Gotz (#9 Boutsen VDS) trailing behind in second and Ricardo Feller (#99 Tresor Attempto Racing) running just over a second behind Sorensen in third after another safety car incident.
A rainy afternoon in eastern Belgium has produced several additional incidents at the high-profile endurance race. Julien Andlauer (#92 SSR Herberth Porsche) and Michele Beretta (#77 Haupt Racing Mercedes) came together just after the three-hour mark and ended up stuck in the gravel after attempting to battle for position. Just ten minutes later, Till Bechtolscheimer’s #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini landed in the gravel, reporting to his team that he was ‘collected from behind,' thus forcing another safety car incident.
The race will finish around 11 p.m. Sunday local time in Belgium and 5 p.m. ET for American viewers. The endurance race can be watched on Motorsport.com or on the GT World YouTube page.
